Konrad Adenauer

Konrad Adenauer (5 January 1876 - 19 April 1967) was a member of the Centre Party until 1933 and, from 1945, of the Christian Democratic Union, serving as the first Chancellor of West Germany from 15 September 1949 to 16 October 1963. He restored the West German economy from the destruction of the Second World War to a central position in Europe built on a market-based economy, liberal democracy, stability and international respect, drove West Germany's membership in NATO and the creation of the Bundeswehr, and was a strong advocate of European integration, signing the Treaty of Rome in 1957. He pursued reconciliation with France, rejected diplomatic recognition of East Germany and of the Oder-Neisse line as Poland's border, and implemented reparations to Israel through the Luxembourg Agreement, work that has led to his being credited as one of the founding fathers of the European Union.